Nobody likes to be told what to do. And now a UAlberta study proves that is true for even the strongest brand relationships.

“Seventy-two per cent of ads in America’s top 10 print magazines contain ads with language that tells consumers what to do,” said Sarah Moore, a marketing professor in the Alberta School of Business. “Our research is the first to look at how reactance motivation, your knee-jerk response to being bossed, is affected depending on your relationship status with brands.”

Moore found that while the reactions of less loyal customers were relatively neutral, surprisingly, ​the reactions of very loyal customers to pushy messages such asSave Money. Live Better,Think Different!,Buy Now!andVisit Us!were overwhelmingly negative.

“This is true even for seemingly innocuous assertive statements, likePlease Buy Now!or for messages that don’t have a negative consequence of non-compliance,” she said.

Even when offered a cash reward, Moore says an assertive message decreased how much that loyal customer would actually buy, and also made them mad.

“To not be compelled by cash is a strong test.”

Moore said only the more youthful and exciting brands, like Virgin or American Eagle, can get away with assertive style ads, but even their bossy ads didn’t register a positive effect.

Why the backlash?

According to Moore, reactance motivation reflects consumers’ need to be free to make their own choices. “Pushy ads, in demanding certain behaviours, restrict consumer freedoms and often cause backlash against the ad and brand.”

We know this to be true in human relationships, she explained.

“When your significant other tells you to do something, like attend a function that you don’t want to go to, you are likely to comply because you feel guilty. A similar process is activated in close brand relationships.

“The difference is that in brand-relationships, guilt backfires,” said Moore. “At the end of the day, consumers remember brands are just brands, which have commercial interests, and that they’re not true relationship partners. Backlash occurs.”

Practical tips for advertisers

The study offers a few remedies for marketers to modify language to avoid the impact of assertive ads.

“They can use directive language that is less individualistic and more general, and less pushy, likeNow is a good time to buy!instead ofBuy now!,” said Moore, adding this was shown to dissipate negative reactions in the research.

As well, Moore says when consumers think positively about their relationship with the brand, the negative impact of a pushy ad is decreased.

“Advertisers may want to play up this aspect, affirming the relationship, and then rephrase the call-to-action.”

A long-term partnership to deliver better health care in central and northern Alberta was renewed at a ceremony at the University of Alberta Hospital’s McMullen Gallery yesterday.

Alberta Health Services and the U of A signed a new 15-year master affiliation agreement, committing both organizations to improve patient care together.

The agreement, which runs until 2032, marks a new era of collaboration between the U of A and AHS. Putting pen to paper formalizes guidelines for the way the organizations will work together in training and academic programs, the appointment of medical staff and health professionals, health-care delivery, capital projects, public policy, research and information privacy and security.

“It’s kind of like a marriage,” said Dennis Kunimoto, acting dean of the U of A’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. “Having agreements laid out makes it clear so that there is no misunderstanding about who should do what, or who owns what, and how we move forward together.”

Kathryn Todd, vice-president research, innovation and analytics at AHS, said she thinks the agreement will drive AHS and the U of A to do better for Albertans.

“Patients are going to benefit from the agreement by having the best care from the best trained professionals,” she said. “We talk a lot in the affiliation about how we support innovation together, how it’s Alberta Health Services’ obligation to be a great preceptor, and the university’s obligation to contribute research innovation and translate it into useable initiatives that the health system can actually take up.”

]]>news,Health & Wellness,popularFri, 22 Sep 2017 23:07:53 +0200UAlberta grads have highest employment rate in Canadahttp://www.folio.ca/ualberta-grads-have-highest-employment-rate-in-canada/
http://www.folio.ca/ualberta-grads-have-highest-employment-rate-in-canada/International employability ranking says grads here have best chance of landing a job of all Canadian schools, places U of A in the top 100 worldwide. By MICHAEL BROWN

University of Alberta graduates have the highest employment rate in Canada and one of best in the world, according to the latest university ranking.

The U of A also cracked the top 100 in overall graduate employability, which is the aggregate of five key indicators—alumni outcomes, employer-student connections, employer reputation, graduate employment rate and partnerships with employers. It was ranked 94th in the world and fifth in Canada.

In addition, the U of A excelled in the partnership with employers category, landing at 85 in the world and fourth in Canada.

According to a U of A Career Centre Employment Survey performed in 2015, 91.4 per cent of alumni who had been graduated for five years were employed, and the unemployment rate for U of A grads five years out was just 2.8 per cent, significantly lower than the 6.8 per cent national average. The survey also indicated the unemployment rate of U of A grads was lower than the national average at six months and three years post graduation.

"Our evaluations of these programs show an overall increase in awareness of career options and confidence about career prospects among participants," said Mathew. "Over the past few years, we have invested more time and resources into programs that provide students with hands-on learning and I think it shows."

Other recent rankings of note include one released by theCenter for World University Rankings, which listed the U of A among the world’s best in five subject areas, including sixth in transplantation, fifth in each of forestry, geology and petroleum engineering, and third in paleontology. Those results follow on the heels of theQS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, which placed the U of A in the top 100 in an unprecedented 25 subjects, including 10th in the world for sports-related subjects, 16th for nursing and 18th in mining engineering.

Earlier in the year, the U of A jumped an astonishing 79 places inTimes Higher Education’sWorld’s Most International Universities ranking. TheU of A ranked 31stmost international university, ahead of the University of Toronto (32), Harvard (33), Stanford (36) and Princeton (37). Other showings include a top five placement in theMaclean’sranking of top Canadian universities and the Alberta School of Business’ Executive Education program was named 60th in the world and sixth in Canada.

The top schools in Canada were the universities of Toronto (15), Waterloo (24), British Columbia (35) and McGill University (42).

Stanford sat atop the rankings followed by the University of California, Los Angeles and Harvard.

If there is quick and easy way to spend your way clear of life’s natural conclusion, UAlberta myth buster extraordinaire Timothy Caulfield has a new platform for finding it.

The health law professor’s never-ending quest to debunk too-good-to-be-true medical procedures, diets and revived ancient therapies has been turned into six-part documentary series titledA User's Guide to Cheating Death.

“It seemed like a logical followup to some of the work I’ve been doing on how science and health issues are portrayed in popular culture,” said Caulfield, a University of Alberta health law researcher. “We really did try to make it a little bit of an adventure for the viewer and get a wide range of perspectives.”

Caulfield, the author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow wrong about everything? (and an outspoken critic of her company, GOOP) takes audiences on a journey to expose the truth behind controversial health trends increasingly promoted by celebrities like Paltrow.

But the show isn’t just an hour-long de-bunk, he said.

“We really wanted to get into where this stuff fits into popular culture—streeters, in-depth interviews, I try the stuff. The goal was to keep it science-based, but we really wanted to get a sense of what is attracting people to these products and these views, whether you are talking about detoxification or some crazy diet, or even cosmetic surgery. ”

A transformation of his own

Caulfield said his own journey while filming the show caused him to experience a bit of a transformation of his own.

“I talk to all these people and these services really seem to be fulfilling a need for them, whether they work or not. That was real eye-opener for me.”

He said he would ask if the recipients of these treatments ever wondered if there was a placebo effect at work.

“One person said if it is placebo I’m okay with that, it is something that seems to be working for me.”

He recalled one interview with a woman who received a buttock implant.

“She was amazing at explaining why this procedure was right for her. It may seem absurd from the outside but when you hear someone explain what this means to them, it is really eye-opening,” he said.

Caulfield was also surprised by the sincerity and how earnest people were about these unproven procedures.

“I can be an aggressive debunker, so for me it was really good to hear that side and that perspective,” he said. “There were only a couple of times where I thought ‘you know what, this guy knows he is selling something that probably doesn’t work and it is part of a broader marketing scheme.’ There were just a couple of people like that and I think the viewers will know who they are.”

U of A on his mind

And while Caulfield’s quest takes him all over the world—from Hollywood to the retail strips of plastic surgeons in Seoul, South Korea, the U of A is never far from mind.

“From a perspective of an individual trying these things, it really is a complex story. People are searching for a wide range of things,” he said. “There are needs that need to be fulfilled and there is a whole bunch of things driving this massive industry and it’s not just marketers.”

Alas, Caulfield says there is no magic that he has found that can be bought to cheat death.

“If you don’t smoke, you exercise, you eat a healthy diet, you find someone to love—that’s about it,” said Caulfield. “I hope one of the things that emerges is that there are straightforward truths out there and popular culture is confusing that reality. We really do try to come back to what the science really says.”

The six-part series starts Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. onVision TV. The show has also been picked up in countries around the world (as well as CBC Worldwide) and has already been greenlit by the producer,Peacock Alley Entertainment, for a second season.

Time’s end of summer headline, “Your cell phone Is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat,” may have repulsed you, especially considering that, on average, we touch our cell phones 2,617 times a day.

The news story highlighted two new studies that showed there are 17,000 gene copies of bacteria present on the average cell phone, and 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

First, the good news: “Only certain strains of a few of these bacteria are significant pathogens [disease spreaders] but the methods used in these studies at best, only get to the species level,” said Nicholas Ashbolt, a professor in UAlberta’s School of Public Health. In other words, it’s not clear what bacteria were identified on the phones and if any would cause infection.

Now the bad news: “Although the presence of these bacteria on our cell phones does not mean we will get sick from them, there is a higher chance that we could become colonized with them,” said Jamil Kanji, a U of A infectious disease professor and a physician at Misericordia Hospital. “If colonized, the higher our probability of developing infections due to some of these bacteria, especially if you already have a weakened immune system.”

Plus, these bacteria are all on our hands anyway, according to Ashbolt, so the phone doesn’t really add to the issue.

“It’s still a case of don’t touch things, like other peoples’ cell phones, or door handles for that matter, and then touch your nose or mouth without first washing your hands.”

Here are a few other helpful insights about cell phones and germs.

So we know bacteria gets around on our phones, but can viruses be spread by cell phones, too?

“Yes, like bacteria, many viruses that cause respiratory illness (like various types of colds, influenza) and even some that can cause diarrhea illnesses (like norovirus or rotavirus) have been found on phones,” said Kanji.

“Thus, coming in contact with them and not washing your hands increases the chance you may cross contaminate yourself, for example, if you touch your phone and then say rub your eye, eat food, or even shake other people’s hands. This increases the risk that you could become ill from them.”

He added that it’s difficult to predict the probability of getting sick, but the probability is there.

Is a cell phone any greater a germ carrier or germ risk than say door handles around a university campus?

“Nobody has done direct comparative studies, however, both surfaces (a cell phone and door handle) act as fomites, which are inanimate objects on which bacteria and viruses can be found. So they both act as a method to spread potential viral and bacterial pathogens,” said Kanji.

“One may hypothesize that more people are in contact with a door knob, but then if you’ve touched a doorknob and then you touch your phone–it could become a contaminated surface for bacteria/viruses. Thus, they are likely similar risks.”

In addition to not sharing your phone with others, what are some risk reductions tips?

“Wash your hands frequently with water and soap or an alcohol-based cleanser,” said Ashbolt.

The easiest way to decrease the germs count on your cell phone, added Kanji, is to lightly wipe the surface with an alcohol swab (most are anti-bacterial) or a very lightly moistened cloth that contains a cleaning alcohol-based solution, and let it air dry.

“This likely is sufficient if combined with regular hand hygiene, which everyone should practice routinely anyhow,” he said, adding that it is not advised to spray liquid disinfectants or use heavily wet cloths on your phone surface.